Second Chances
by KLHF23
Summary: SEQUEL to A New Beginning. An old friend of Nancy's mother has a problem and it is up to Nancy and her friends to help. Takes place in England and includes Bess and George. HIATUS: I will pick this back up eventually, I promise.
1. Chapter 1

**NOTES: Okay, everyone, here it is, my sequel to A New Beginning. In true Nancy Drew fashion, I decided to take this one on location. I lived in England for several years so it isn't totally out there for me to write about. :)**

 **Second Chances**

 **Chapter 1**

"THIS. IS. INCREDIBLE!" Bess Marvin squealed as they stepped out of their taxi onto the street in front of their hotel.

"She's not exaggerating for once," her cousin, George, agreed. "This is awesome."

Nancy Drew smiled at her friends' excitement. "It _is_ pretty great," she admitted. Bess Marvin and George Fayne were her closest friends and she was thrilled to be sharing this experience with them.

Nancy worked for Hardy & Sons Investigative Services in Bayport, New York. She had recently stumbled across a case with ties in England. So after a little time convincing her boss, Fenton Hardy, that she really must follow up in person, here she was standing in front of the Park Plaza taking in breathtaking views of Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye. Having not seen her best friends in months, she had offered for them to join her on what was sure to be an incredible adventure.

After checking in and making their way up to their room, Bess gasped as she took in the amazing view from their twelfth floor suite. "When do Frank and Joe arrive?" she asked breathlessly her blue eyes sparkling as she took in their surroundings. Frank and Joe Hardy were brothers and the "Sons" in Hardy & Sons. They had all been friends since childhood and she was eager to catch up.

"Oh, yes," George agreed as she stretched out on one of the beds. Her strong, athletic build and dark hair was in direct contrast with her blonde, more curvaceous cousin. "When does lover boy arrive?" she teased. "We haven't seen you two together yet," her dark eyes raised playfully as her face broke out in a knowing grin.

"Frank," Nancy said matter-of-factly, "will be arriving tomorrow afternoon. Joe and Vanessa will be with him, of course." She had gone back to her childhood home of River Heights to catch a flight with Bess and George while the others were leaving from New York. She and Frank had been dating for a few months now and Vanessa Bender was Joe's new fiancé.

"Ah, the girl who tamed Joe Hardy," Bess laughed. "This I _have_ to see."

"It's true," Nancy smiled thinking of the happy couple. "They are really good together and Vanessa's great. I think you'll like her."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure she's wonderful," Bess replied a wicked grin spreading across her face, "but I want to hear about you and Frank. Spill. Now."

Nancy could feel the heat spreading across her cheeks. "I don't know what to say," she stammered. "Frank's great."

"We know he's great, Nancy," Bess said rolling her eyes. "We've known him since we were kids. But seriously, we've barely talked to you in months! MONTHS! One minute it's, 'Oh, by the way, I broke up with Ned,' then it's, 'Oh, I'm going to stay in Bayport for a while,' then it's 'Oh, guess what, I'm dating Frank' and then it's all, 'I think we'll live together.' Who are you and what did you do with Nancy Drew?"

"It's not like that," Nancy said quickly. "Okay, maybe a little like that, but, _not_ ," she sighed defeated.

"All I can say is it is _about time_ ," George smirked. Nancy and Frank had danced around each other for years, always coming up with some insanely sensible reason not to be together. It was a relief to their friends to know they were no longer pretending.

"Seriously," Bess agreed. "So, really, spill. What's it like to kiss tall, dark, and handsome Frank Hardy?" she asked dreamily.

"Pretty amazing," Nancy admitted shyly her face turning a deep shade of pink that clashed against her strawberry blonde hair.

"I knew it!" Bess squealed. "Nancy Hardy…. I like it," she said grinning mischievously.

"Bess!" Nancy said sharply, "we are not even thinking of anything like marriage yet. We have only been dating a few months."

Her friend snorted in response as she and George shared a knowing look. "We'll see!" she sang out as Nancy threw a pillow at her head in response.

* * *

The next day the three friends were just returning to the hotel lobby after a morning of sightseeing and to the tomboyish George's chagrin, shopping, when they heard a familiar voice. "Check _in._ We would like to check _in,"_ the voice said slowly careful to properly annunciate each word.

"I know that voice," Nancy grinned rushing around the corner towards the hotel's front desk. Sure enough, it was Frank, Joe, and Vanessa, their backs to her as they attempted to get the key to their room.

"Joe, this is England. They speak _English,"_ a slightly exasperated Frank interrupted his brother. "I'm sorry," he said apologetically to the woman at the desk. "Frank and Joe Hardy. We have a couple of rooms booked."

"I knew that," Joe muttered sheepishly to Vanessa as the clerk handed them their room keys. Turning to head towards the elevators he noticed the others for the first time.

"Hey, it's Nancy!" Joe exclaimed as Frank's head shot up in anticipation. "And Bess and George! Hi guys!" he said waving as they made their way over to where they were waiting.

After greetings and introductions were taken care of the group made plans to head to their rooms to freshen up before dinner. "I think all of our rooms are on the same hall," Nancy offered, "but we can always meet in the lobby if that's easiest."

"That sounds good," Joe agreed. "After all, I definitely don't want to interrupt yours and Frank's happy reunion or anything," he added with a shudder.

Bess giggled at the embarrassed, albeit very guilty, looks on Frank and Nancy's faces as the group filed out of the elevator and down the hall to their respective rooms.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Joe teased before Vanessa pushed him into their room with an apologetic glance to the others.

* * *

"Finally!" Frank sighed as he collapsed on the bed in the room he and Nancy would share.

"Long flight?" Nancy asked clearly amused as her boyfriend struggled to keep his eyes open. She watched him for a moment, slight stubble beginning to show on his face and his dark hair tousled about after a long day of travel. _He's so handsome_ , she thought smiling appreciatively as she studied his long, muscular legs stretched out across the bed.

"Indeed," he said as his eyes fluttered open and he smiled up at her. Forcing himself into a sitting position, he reached over and pulled her down on the bed beside him. "I missed you," he said softly pulling her in for a gentle kiss.

"I missed you, too," she murmured as she leaned closer. Nancy knew it was crazy how much she had missed Frank. She had just seen him a few days ago. In fact, up until a few months ago they hardly saw each other at all. Her pulse quickened as the kiss grew deeper and she began to lose herself in him before coming to her senses and reluctantly pulling away.

"We can't," she argued futilely as Frank's lips touched the spot just behind her ear that he knew would make her melt. "Seriously…must…stop!" she gasped forcing herself to pull out of his embrace.

"We have a little time," Frank said grinning suggestively at her as he began to come closer once again. "Joe can wait."

"Oh no, you don't!" Nancy jumped just out of his reach. "We have to get ready and meet the others. It's not just Joe, you know. Do you really want to keep Bess waiting?" she teased.

"Yes!" Frank retorted but stood up and obediently made his way to the bathroom.

* * *

An hour later the group was seated at a restaurant just down from their hotel waiting for their food to arrive. "So, Nan, we are all here, will you please tell us more about this case you are working on now?" George begged her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I guess so," Nancy replied smiling mischievously. She had been purposely keeping the others in the dark until they were all together and she knew it was killing George, not to mention Frank and Joe.

"Out with it, Drew!" Joe demanded before stuffing another piece of bread in his mouth.

"Well, do you remember Pauline?" she asked turning to Bess and George. "My Mom's friend that visited last summer?" she prompted.

"Yes," they agreed both nodding in response. "Well, as you may remember, she is English-"

"She's the one that owns all the horses, right?" Bess interjected.

"She doesn't own them, well, a couple, but she works with them, yes," Nancy agreed.

"You should hear her talk about it," George said to the others excitedly. "It's these champion racehorses. Some of them are worth A LOT of money. She trains them. It's awesome!"

Nancy laughed at the enthusiasm of her sports-loving friend. "Well, you're in luck, George," she said smiling. "The case involves the horses."

Her friend frowned in response. "Why are we in London then?" she asked her brows furrowed in confusion. "I didn't think Pauline lived in London."

"She doesn't," Nancy explained. "She works in Newmarket, but the closest airport was Heathrow, so I thought it would be nice to spend a couple of days in London first before heading that way. We have traveled this far, after all."

"So we've come all the way across the ocean to take care of some horses? Where do I sign up?" Joe asked dryly.

"Not just any horses, Joe," George quipped. "Champion racehorses."

"Why don't we let Nancy explain?" Frank urged eager to find out the real reason they were all sitting in a restaurant in the middle of London.

"Pauline Clarke was one of my mother's oldest friends. They grew up together before Pauline moved back to England. After my Mom died, Pauline kept in touch. Phone calls, letters…but she has wanted me to visit her for years and I have never made the trip. However, in her last call she was explaining to me about some _difficulties_ they have been having down at the track."

"What kind of difficulties?" Frank asked curiously.

"Maybe I'd better let her explain it," Nancy said coyly. "I don't even know all the details myself."

The others at the table groaned. "You cannot be serious!" Joe whined. "You can't tease us like that and then leave us hanging."

Nancy just smiled. "We'll head that way the day after tomorrow."

* * *

 **Please review! :) And as always, thank you for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes: Thank you to all that have followed me over to this new story!**

 **J- I lived in Cambridge. As for travel, we went all over the UK and Europe during our time there. Not too many places in England I haven't been at least once. :)**

 **Chapter 2**

"A penny for your thoughts, Drew," Frank murmured into Nancy's hair as he wrapped his arms around her. It was late and they had decided to take a walk across Westminster Bridge before joining the others back at the hotel. They had spent the day trying to fit in as much of London as possible since they were heading out to Newmarket the next morning and they were all very tired. Nancy had stopped suddenly and was now leaning against the edge taking in the view.

"I've always wanted to ride that at night," she said gesturing towards the London Eye whose lights were glittering spectacularly in the moonlight.

"Why didn't you say something?" Frank asked dumbfounded. "We could have done that tonight. I don't think Joe _really_ needed that second dessert," he added with a grin.

Nancy blushed at his question glad he couldn't see her face. "Well," she said quietly. "I think it would be better without a big group."

"Ah," Frank said the sound of recognition clear in his voice. A strong breeze blew across just then causing Nancy to shiver in his arms. It was May, but the weather was still pretty cool, especially at night. They had lucked out so far with lots of sunshine, but Frank suspected it was only a matter of time before they were dealt with at least a few overcast days, if not outright rain.

Chivalrously, Frank removed his jacket and wrapped it around his girlfriend, rubbing her arms to help warm her up.

"It's okay, really," she continued. "I've ridden it before. Just not at night." Nancy smiled thinking of her last trip to London. She was with her Dad and as smart as the renowned lawyer could be, navigation was not his strong suit. They had gotten lost more times than he would ever admit due to his "shortcuts."

"One day," he whispered kissing the top of her head before pulling her in close as they stood in amicable silence just enjoying the incredible scenery.

* * *

"Wait, wait, I wasn't ready!" Joe exclaimed posing for the camera as the others laughed.

"Joe, we have to go, we have a train to catch," Frank argued rolling his eyes good-naturedly at his younger brother. They were at London's King's Cross Station and Joe had insisted that he must have a picture at the makeshift Platform 9 ¾ located near Platforms 9 and 10. Frank shook his head at his brother's antics. He hadn't even known Joe had heard of Harry Potter, much less was a fan.

"Oh, relax," Joe said feigning exasperation. "Our train leaves from Platform 9. It's _right there_."

"We have plenty of time," Nancy said laughing at the brothers. There was no denying they were two of her favorite people. Their crazy theatrics made her feel better instantly no matter how her mood was previously. That was true even before she and Frank became more than just friends.

"So, the train takes us to Cambridge and then Pauline will pick us from there?" Vanessa asked eager to confirm their plans. She was a planner. You have to be if you are marrying Joe Hardy and the lack of control she had on the trip was about to drive her crazy.

Nancy nodded in agreement. "Yes, she said there is a roundabout just in front of the station and she would meet us there. Apparently traffic can be awful in that area so if she isn't there right away we're not to worry."

"So let me get this straight… we took the "tube" to King's Cross to take the train to Cambridge to wait at a roundabout?" Bess nodded affirmatively a slightly amused expression on her face. "How British of us."

"Oh, bloody hell, Bess, that's nothing," George smirked. "Would you fancy some fish and chips or perhaps cream tea while we're at it? I'll give you a few quid and you can grab some grub; a few scones, a savory bap, maybe a bacon butty? Bob's your uncle!"

The rest of the group stopped and stared at George for a moment. "What?" she asked mischievously. "I read up a bit before we left," she shrugged with a wink.

Nancy found herself laughing once again and feeling so grateful to be sharing this trip with such amazing people. "I'm not sure there is time for fish and chips just now," she said with a smile, "here comes our train."

* * *

It was nearly dusk when they stepped out of the station to wait for Pauline. "Cambridge, eh?" Joe began as he winked at Vanessa. "Maybe I should submit an application? I hear it's an amazing school."

"It _is_ an amazing university, Joseph Hardy," Vanessa quipped, "but not one you're likely to attend."

"You don't think I can get in?" he asked feigning shock. "Not in a million years," Vanessa, Frank, and Nancy responded in unison.

"I'm hurt, really," Joe answered sadly. "My fiancé. My brother, my own flesh in blood. And Nancy. You'll probably be my sister-in-law soon."

Several eyes widened at this and glanced over hesitantly to see the still relatively new couple's reaction to this declaration. Nancy looked around desperately searching for a change of subject, while Frank, his face beet red, stared at the ground.

"Is that Pauline?" George asked helpfully as all eyes immediately turned in the direction she was pointing.

"Yes, I think it is," Nancy answered gratefully as she waved at the oncoming car. Sighing with relief as the other woman pulled over in response, she ignored the previous conversation and allowed herself to be encompassed by the familiar tingle of a nearby mystery.

* * *

"Nancy!" the tiny, athletic woman said warmly as she pulled her into a strong embrace. "You look so much like her," she whispered. " It's good to see you, dear." Pauline Clarke was a small, lively woman, her brown eyes flashing as she greeted her friend's daughter.

"It's good to see you, too," Nancy replied genuinely. "Thank you so much for having us!"

After introductions were made and luggage was loaded in the van, they were finally on their way. "I know it is kind of cozy back there," Pauline said apologetically, "but it's only about a twenty minute drive."

"Not a problem," Nancy assured her as the others murmured their agreement. "We're just grateful you picked us up. I can just see us attempting to make it on our own."

"No, it is I that am grateful to you," Pauline insisted. "Things are not going well at the stables, I'm afraid. I am hoping that you can help."

"Oh my gosh, this is so weird!" Bess exclaimed suddenly as they pulled out onto the main road.

Pauline grinned. "Driving on the left?" she asked with an amused smile. "Yes, it even takes my other European friends a bit to get used to it. They drive on the right in the mainland," she explained.

"I keep thinking you are going to drive straight into the oncoming cars!" Vanessa cried looking around nervously.

"I can assure you have no intentions of doing _that_ ," Pauline said reassuringly. "You'll get used to it. Maybe I'll let you give it a try?" she asked smiling wickedly.

"I'll do it!" Joe volunteered as the others groaned.

"Let me see if I remember this correctly," Pauline began. "Joe?"

"My reputation precedes me?" he asked with a knowing wink at the others.

"Oh, I've heard quite a bit about all of you," Pauline replied. "Nancy and I talk often and she keeps me apprised of your adventures."

"All good things I hope?" George asked cheerfully.

"Always," Nancy laughed in response. Turning to Pauline, "I hope it won't be an inconvenience having so many of us here for the next couple of weeks."

"Not at all," the other woman said with a warm smile. "A good friend- one of the horse owners- has a large house just down from the racecourses. They are rarely there and have agreed for you to stay."

"That's very generous," Nancy began.

"It helps them really," Pauline interjected with a shrug. "That way the house doesn't just sit empty."

"When do we get to see the horses?" Bess asked eagerly.

"Oh, believe me, you'll see plenty of horses," Pauline laughed. "But I have arranged for you to come down to the stables tomorrow morning. I haven't told anyone you're detectives though," she looked at Nancy her eyes showing concern. "You're just friends here to visit and learn about what I do," she added pointedly.

"Got it!" Nancy agreed as they pulled into the drive of a very large, very beautiful home. "Oh my!" she gasped. "This is gorgeous!"

"Welcome to your home for the next two weeks," Pauline said proudly. "I trust it will be sufficient?"

* * *

 **Thanks for sticking with me! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes: Thanks for reading and for those who take the time to review. It means a lot. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

"Alright, who is going to drive?" Nancy asked looking around at the group. It was morning and they were preparing to head to the stables. Pauline had arranged for them to have a van while they were in town, but they hadn't actually given any thought to who was going to drive it.

"I vote Frank," Vanessa said matter-of-factly ignoring the immediate protests from her fiancé.

"No offense, Joe, but I've seen you drive," Bess laughed. "I vote Frank, too."

"Frank?" Nancy held up the keys for her boyfriend who grabbed them reluctantly. "Fine, but I think you guys just want a chance to make fun of my attempts to stay on the left side of the road," he sighed.

"Left, right," Nancy teased holding up each hand in example. "Easy peasy," she grinned.

"Yeah, yeah," he said. "Let's do this."

* * *

Pauline worked for Gordon Mitchell Racing, a Champion flat racing horse trainer based out of Newmarket. She was his Assistant Trainer and therefore second in command and Mitchell's right hand. Nancy had often wondered if Pauline wished to be a trainer herself one day, but she had remained loyal to her boss for nearly 15 years and seemed content to stay in her current job.

As Assistant Trainer, Pauline was in charge of all of the other stable and senior staff. She handled all training, discipline and recruitment including planning all of the horses' schedules. If Mitchell couldn't be at a race, she was his representative. The Trainer might handle the business itself, but the assistant trainer handled everything else. Because of this, she was incredibly busy and the others knew she would not have a lot of free time to show them around.

They had arrived without incident and their host was giving them a quick tour and introduction before returning to work. "And this," Pauline said opening a door and allowing them to enter, "is our training yard." Nancy and the others watched in awe of the beautiful horses as they warmed up with their exercise riders.

"It's magnificent," George murmured in appreciation her eyes fixated on a young colt in the middle of his morning workout. She was far from a horse expert, but even she could tell that these were special animals. Their strong muscular bodies and shiny coats looked almost majestic as they galloped around the track.

"Isn't it?" a deep voice spoke up from behind bringing the group back to the reason for their visit.

"Oh, Roger, there you are, dear," Pauline said turning to face a handsome young man with reddish blonde hair and the most piercing green eyes Bess had ever seen.

"Roger Macintosh," Pauline said in way of introduction to the others. "He is our farrier here at GMR."

"I take care of the horses' feet," he explained with a quick wink at George before quickly bowing his head. "It's verra nice to meet ye," he added with an obviously Scottish drawl that made the girls swoon and Joe scowl.

Introductions made, Pauline turned to Roger in expectation. "Where is Steve? I wanted to introduce him as well. I have to get back to work in a moment."

Nancy couldn't help but notice Roger's demeanor stiffen slightly at the mention of the other man. She knew from Pauline that Steve Webber was Head Lad for Gordon Mitchell Racing and was immediately curious at this reaction. He smiled, however, and shrugged simply. "I haven't seen him about this morning. If I do, I will tell him you are looking for him." Nodding his head at the others once more, he excused himself.

"Wowsers, Pauline!" Bess exclaimed once he was safely out of earshot. "Please tell me he is single."

Her hostess laughed as the other girl proceeded to fan herself dramatically. "As far as I know," she smiled.

"Did you hear that accent?" Bess continued dreamily. "I havena seen him _aboot_ this morning," she mimicked. "I could listen to him talk all day. And those _eyes_ …"

"Rein it in, Bess," George said dryly rolling her eyes at her cousin. She didn't want to admit to the slight twinge of jealousy she felt at Bess' fawning over the handsome horseman.

Nancy laughed at her two friends before turning to Pauline in a much more serious tone. "This place is amazing," she said genuinely, "but why don't you tell us more about why you asked us here?"

She watched as the expression on the face of her dear family friend turned to sadness and she nodded slowly. "Let's go this way," she said gesturing towards a building that looked only a little less like the stables they had been touring. "We can talk in my office."

* * *

"Let me begin by saying that Gordon Mitchell Racing has always been a wonderful place to work," Pauline began after they were all crunched in her office. "Gordon...Mr. Mitchell," she added quickly with a slight blush, "is a fantastic employer and we have been extremely successful over the years."

"Then what is going on?" Nancy asked unable to contain her curiosity. She didn't miss the effect Gordon Mitchell's name seemed to have on the other woman and filed that little tidbit away to bring up later.

"I don't know," Pauline answered looking slightly defeated. "We're not winning anymore. In fact, we're not even really all that competitive at all. I would say it's just a slump, but…"

"You think there's more to it," Frank finished eagerly. Like Nancy, he could sense the mystery beginning to form.

Pauline nodded in response. "It's strange really," she replied. "I can't put my finger on what exactly, but there have been little things that just seem…off. Accidents, mistakes, and things that are very uncharacteristic of our team. I know everyone has bad days, but bad _years_?" She shook her head earnestly. "No, something is going on. I know it."

"Do you have any suspicions?" Joe asked eager to get started.

"No!" Pauline shouted stubbornly her face turning red as she slammed her hands down on her desk. Clearly embarrassed, she took a deep breath as she struggled to regain composure. "I'm sorry," she said more quietly her eyes brimming with tears. "This has always been like a family to me. I'm finding it hard to believe that anyone here would do anything to sabotage us."

Nancy stood and went over to wrap her friend in a warm embrace as the others adjusted to the shock of Pauline's sudden outburst. "It's okay," she said kindly. "We'll figure out who's behind it. I promise."

"You have to," Pauline said her voice beginning to crack. "I have tried to convince Gordon to investigate, but he won't. He insists we just have to do better, but in turn he's harder on the others. They work so hard already. It's not that," she added with a whisper.

"We'll figure it out," Frank said reassuringly. He hoped for Pauline's sake, and Nancy's, that he was right. His girlfriend clearly cared very deeply for this woman and he was determined not to let her down.

"It's what we do," Joe added with a confident smile.

* * *

 **Please review! Feedback makes it easier to continue writing.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes: Thank you again to my kind readers and reviewers. Fast update, hope you enjoy. Bear with me, Max, I'm intentionally trying to progress this one more slowly. ;)**

 **Chapter 4**

"So where do we start?" George asked addressing the three detectives of the group with expectation. She had helped Nancy on cases before, but knew it would be best to defer to the experts.

"I know I wouldn't mind learning more about horseshoes," Bess joked. "It sounds soooo interesting!" She didn't have to add that she would also be interested in learning more about the hot guy handling those horseshoes.

"Oh, c'mon!" Joe groaned. "He's not _that_ good looking."

"Yes, he is," the girls responded in unison causing him to groan even louder.

"Don't worry, honey," Vanessa coddled while ruffling her fiancé's hair, "you're good looking too."

"Well, naturally," Joe grinned his confidence returning as he spun around to give the ladies a better view. "Who could compete with _this_?"

"Alright, moving on!" Frank shouted eager to get started on the case, but even more eager to end this particular line of conversation.

"Don't be jealous, big brother," Joe teased. "Nancy must find you attractive she can't seem to keep her hands off of you."

Nancy blushed as she realized Joe was winking at her. Clearing her throat, she attempted to change the subject, "I think Frank's right, let's move on. We have our work cut out for us."

Purposefully ignoring his brother's knowing grin, Frank continued, "It would probably be best for us to split up. Nancy and I will try to find Steve Webber. Joe and Vanessa, why don't you see what you can find out from talking to the stable hands and exercise riders."

"What about us?" George asked warily having a feeling exactly where this was headed.

Nancy gave her friend a bright grin. "And Bess and George can go see if Roger knows anything," she said laughing as Bess squealed and George narrowed her eyes.

"You owe me," George insisted as Bess began dragging her away towards the stables. Nancy just gave her friend a knowing smile and a slight wink before turning her attention back to Frank and the search for the missing Head Lad.

* * *

"It just doesn't add up," Frank began once he and Nancy were alone. "He's the Head Lad. He's arguably the busiest person here. How could he just disappear and nobody know where he is?"

"It _is_ strange," Nancy agreed. "Maybe he had a family emergency?"

"And he didn't tell anyone?" Frank looked doubtful. "I guess it's possible…"

Just then, Nancy stopped a boy of 12 or 13 as he started to rush by. "Excuse me, hi, I'm Nancy," she said sweetly. "We're looking for Steve?"

"Sorry, haven't seen 'em," he mumbled quickly starting to hurry off once again when Frank grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back.

Casting a weary glance over at Nancy, he turned to the boy and asked pointedly, " _When_ was the last time you saw him?"

"I…I don't know," he stammered nervously. "I haven't seen him, Mister, honest I haven't!"

Frank looked at him sternly. "What's your name?" he asked gruffly watching as the boy's eyes widened uncertainly.

"Hh…Henry," he replied shakily looking over at Nancy helplessly.

"Well, Henry, I'm Frank. Do us a favor will you? Let us know if you see him. We would really like to meet him," he gave a tight smile as he released the boy's shirt.

"Yes, Frank, um, Sir," he managed to get out before seeing his chance and running away.

Waiting until he was out of earshot, Nancy burst out laughing. "What was that all about, _Sir_?"

Frank shrugged before joining in her laughter. "Everyone around here seems so reluctant to answer. I thought maybe I could find out if he was hiding something. Although thinking back on it, he was a teenage boy, you might have had more luck," he smirked.

Nancy snorted. "I'm almost twenty-five," she laughed. "He probably thinks I'm ancient."

It was Frank's turn to snort. "Ancient? Really?" he asked raising an eyebrow. "You clearly don't see yourself the way the way I do then."

"Oh yeah, how's that, Hardy?" Nancy asked flirtatiously momentarily forgetting where she was and what she was supposed to be doing as she so often did when Frank was around.

"Ahem!" a loud voice shouted startling them back to reality as they became suddenly aware they were standing much closer than they had been previously.

"Really, guys?" Joe said in feigned exasperation. Turning to Vanessa, "we leave them alone for two seconds. Can you believe this?"

"I hope they don't expect us to do all the work," Vanessa agreed playfully. She thought it was adorable how in love Frank and Nancy were, but couldn't resist giving them a hard time.

"Sorry, guys," Nancy said sheepishly. "We'll focus," she added as she forced a serious expression onto her face.

"See that you do," Vanessa said laughing as she pulled Joe away before he could further embarrass the other couple.

* * *

"Can you believe those two?" Joe asked Vanessa after they were a safe distance away. He could not believe how out of character his brother was behaving. His smart, _sensible_ brother. And Nancy, too? It was too much.

"Of course," Vanessa answered honestly. "We used to be that way, after all," she shrugged. She remembered the early days of her relationship with the younger Hardy brother. _We were pretty insufferable_ , she thought with a laugh. _And we hadn't been pining away for years like Frank and Nancy_ , she added silently.

Joe rolled his eyes. "We were never like that," he insisted. He knew he and Vanessa were more 'comfortable' in their relationship now, but they had never acted so ridiculously.

Vanessa simply smiled in response. "Look," she said pointing at a group of riders dusting themselves off. "I think it's break time. Let's see if they can tell us anything."

Nodding in agreement, Joe led his fiancé over to where a group of two men and one woman in riding clothes were taking a water break. "Sorry," he began, "we are visiting here and were wondering if we could ask you a few questions."

"Of course," the female rider answered cheerfully. "What would you like to know?"

"Are you the ones here with Pauline?" one of the men interrupted gruffly. His expression and tone were far from friendly, but Joe chose to ignore that small detail.

"We are!" he said smiling brightly. "She has been so kind to invite us out here. I have always been so curious about horse racing. It is amazing what those horses can do."

"Ignore him," the female rider said shaking her head in disgust. "I'm Kate, she said extending her hand to Joe and Vanessa, "and I, at least, am happy to answer any questions you might have," she shot a look at her fellow riders.

"Joe Hardy," he said identifying himself as he accepted her hand. "This is my fiancé, Vanessa Bender. We're just here on vacation. I mean, uh, holiday."

"Ah, holidays," another of the male riders spoke up. "What's that?" he grinned, but Joe still noted a slight edge to his tone.

"It's been awhile since we've had a holiday," Kate explained. "John, here, is missing that a bit I expect. We all are, in fact."

"Why don't you take some time off?" Vanessa asked curiously. "Surely you have earned it."

"You would think," John answered dryly.

"Mr. Mitchell is not a big fan of holidays right now," Kate said as tactfully as possible.

"But surely he can't keep you from taking a vacation! I mean holiday," Joe added quickly. He had never heard of such a thing. Even in the States workers were given mandatory vacation time and he thought it was much more common in the UK.

"Legally, no," Kate agreed. "But that doesn't matter so much, does it?"

"Why not?"

"We're exercise riders," the gruff man said the exasperation still clear in his voice. "We don't want to be exercise riders forever," he said incredulously as if the answer was obvious.

"What Tom _means_ is," Kate began giving the older man a pointed look, "that as riders a lot of us are training towards other jobs- head lad, jockey, even trainer. We don't need to rub anyone the wrong way. This is a smaller community than you would think. We need good references."

"So you just never get a break?" Vanessa asked incredulously. She had done a small amount of horseback riding as a child and knew it was more labor intensive than it seemed. She couldn't imagine never having a chance to really rest.

"Things aren't the best right now," Kate admitted. "Mr. Mitchell is…unhappy, you could say."

Tom snorted. "It's not our fault. Maybe if he spent less time canoodling with the help and more time running his business it would different," he said frankly.

"Tom!" both John and Kate exclaimed together.

"What? It's true," the other man said throwing his hands up in the air in disgust.

"What is true?" Joe asked suspiciously. He was more than aware they had stumbled on a source of conflict and he wanted all the details.

Kate smiled sadly before answering his question. "Everyone knows Mr. Mitchell and Ms. Clarke are, well, for lack of a better word, _close,"_ she said tactfully.

"Oh," Joe said slightly surprised. _"Oohh,"_ he added a moment later. "I think I take your meaning?"

Kate nodded solemnly before she and the others excused themselves. "It was nice meeting you."

"Yikes," Joe cringed as he turned to Vanessa. "Nancy isn't going to like this."

"No," Vanessa sighed. "Probably not."

* * *

 **Please review! It really is important. I enjoy writing, but I post here to see other people's reaction to what I write. No point otherwise. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Note: I realized when I started writing Chapter 6 that I needed to change a couple of things in Chapter 5, so this chapter is a little different now. Nothing drastic, just minor details. Thanks for following and I apologize for any confusion.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

"Why didn't you tell me?" Nancy demanded of Pauline after Joe and Vanessa had filled her in on their conversation with the stable staff. She had seen something in her demeanor change when Pauline spoke of her boss, but had no idea that it was big enough for the other workers to notice. Now she was back in her friend's office hoping to find real answers.

"There's nothing to tell!" Pauline insisted. "It's just not like that," she said shaking her head emphatically.

"Then why are there four other people out there that would disagree?" Nancy asked in disbelief. "If you want my help you have to be honest with me, Pauline. I need to know _everything."_

The other woman buried her hands in her face and sighed. "I've been working for Gordon for a long time," she said quietly. "We have always been close friends, but lately it has seemed there might be something more."

"Is that the real reason why you've never left to pursue becoming a trainer yourself?" Nancy asked. "You are clearly qualified for the job."

Pauline shook her head no, adamantly at first, but then slowly changing to a slight nod of acknowledgement. "It's part of it, I guess," she admitted, "but not all. This is a crazy business. Very competitive. GMR was established and until recently, very successful. I liked the stability of knowing I was working for a winner."

"Alright, so, why are all the riders so upset?" Nancy asked quizzically. "Is there a rule against dating coworkers or something?"

"No, not officially," Pauline said carefully.

"Unofficially then?" Nancy pushed eager to get to the point.

"Well, no, not even that," Pauline argued. "I honestly didn't even know it bothered them. Not that part anyway."

"But you did know they were upset?" Nancy urged.

"Yes, of course," Pauline sighed. "We are all upset. It has been a long few years. We work really hard and have nothing to show for it. It's frustrating. Maybe they are looking for somewhere to lay blame?"

"Apparently Tom seems to be the angriest. Can you explain that?"

Pauline closed her eyes as if she was suddenly very tired and paused for a moment before opening them again. "Tom…well, Tom is Tom," she attempted to explain. "He has a rough exterior. Comes across kind of angry and bitter at times. He's really a good guy deep down though. Just doesn't like to show it often."

"Joe sure seemed to think he was pretty upset…"

"He's jealous," Pauline agreed. "And ambitious. But he's getting older. He really wants to be Head Lad. He sees me as a roadblock in that path. Tom can't be Head Lad unless Steve moves up or leaves. Steve can't move up while I'm still here…"

Nancy's face scrunched up in confusion. "So why not look for a job as Head Lad somewhere else?"

"Same reason none of the rest of us do," Pauline shrugged. "When things started falling apart around here none of us believed it would last very long so we stuck it out. Now it has been long enough that none of us really look all that desirable to other racing companies."

"So the only way for Tom to move up is for you or Steve to leave," Nancy murmured piecing together the details in her mind. "Would the same be true for everyone else?"

"Pretty much," Pauline agreed. "Not for someone like Roger or one of the stable hands, but most of us. Oh, Nancy, now you see why I need you so much? We have to figure out what is going on. It's affecting a lot of lives."

Nancy smiled tenderly at the other woman. "I'm going to need as much information as you can give me on the workers here- background, resumes, job description- but don't worry we'll find out what is going on."

Pauline smiled gratefully at the young woman before her. "I know," she whispered.

* * *

"Alright, _be cool_ ," Bess warned George as they made their way to the office they had been informed belonged to Roger.

George snorted. "Between the two of us you think I'm the one that needs to be told to be cool?"

"I was saying that more for my benefit actually," her cousin retorted, "but since you brought it up, yes, I do think you need to be told to be cool."

"And why is that?" George said rolling her eyes. If there was one thing George was definitely not, it was boy crazy.

"I saw how you looked at Roger," Bess teased. "You think he's cuuuute."

"So do you," George pointed out. "That doesn't mean anything."

"Yes, but I saw your reaction when he winked at you. "

"There was no reaction," George insisted feeling her cheeks starting to heat up as she tried desperately to hide her face from Bess.

"Ooooh," Bess giggled, "this is going to be magnificent! Who knew we just needed to find you a guy with an accent!" she continued babbling away about the future of George's nonexistent relationship with Roger.

"Bess, seriously, be cool, we're almost there," George hissed.

"Right," Bess winked bringing to her face an expression of full composure. "Let's see what lover boy has to say."

The door to his office was open, but Roger was nowhere to be found. "Well, now what?" Bess sighed. "Oooh, should we snoop?"

"Um, no, I don't think that will be necessary," George said gesturing with her eyes towards the handsome Scot headed in their direction.

"Alright, ladies?" Roger smiled as he approached where they were standing just outside of his office. "How can I help?"

"Oh, we were just curious about what you do around here is all," Bess said with a flirtatious smile.

"Well, you're in luck," Roger grinned. "I am headed over to trim the hooves on one of the fillies. You can tag along if you want."

"Yes, please!" Bess said enthusiastically. "That sounds sooo interesting. "Don't you think so, George?"

"Of course," George said glaring at her cousin. Desperately trying to thwart Bess' attempts at matchmaking, she decided to ask as many questions as possible about Roger's work. "So what exactly is involved in trimming a horse's hoof?"

Fortunately, he loved his job and was more than happy to oblige any and all questions. Before they knew it an hour had passed and Roger had finished up what he was working on.

"That was fascinating!" George said honestly as they started to leave the stable. "I have always loved horses." She didn't add that she also loved to hear Roger talking about them. He was extremely knowledgeable and she admired how careful he was with the animals.

Roger perked up at this. "Oh yeah, do you ride?"

"A little," she answered with a shrug. She actually rode quite well, but George was never the type for boastfulness.

"A little?" Bess exclaimed. "You used to win awards for it when we were kids." She shook her head in astonishment at George's modesty.

Roger eyed her with great interest. "Maybe we can go for a ride while you are here. I've got a couple of horses in the back stable," he gestured behind where they were standing.

"You own horses out here?" George asked with amazement. These horses were worth _a lot_ of money. Much more than a farrier's salary would support.

"Oh, aye," Roger nodded, "not these top dogs here, mind you, but my family owns a few. Long history with horses in my family."

"I would love to see them," George responded almost breathlessly. The thought of actually being able to ride one of these great animals was almost more than she could bear.

"Very well then," Roger grinned. "I look forward to it. Now, ladies, if you'll excuse me, I have a patient with a hurt foot down the way that needs tending."

* * *

 **Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes: I went back and changed a few minor things in Chapter 5. Please check that out if you haven't yet. This chapter was a little shorter than I had planned, but if I kept going with what I intended it would have been longer than I wanted. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

"Mr. Frank! Mr. Frank! I found him! I found him!" Henry came running up shouting breathlessly to where he and Nancy were standing just outside Pauline's office.

"You found Steve?" Frank asked with a slight smirk as he admired the young boy's tenacity.

"Yessir," Henry said nodding proudly at his accomplishment. "He's over there with Prestige," he added gesturing towards the stables.

"Prestige?" Nancy asked with one brow raised as she tried desperately not to laugh at Henry's excitement over pleasing Frank.

"Oh yes, beautiful horse he is," the boy said eagerly. "He's just over there in the back of that stable. You'll see'em."

"Thank you, Henry," Frank said seriously. "You've been a great help." Henry beamed at this and ran off again as quickly as he had arrived.

"To have that energy…" Frank muttered in amazement as Nancy watched no longer able to control her laughter.

"Well, shall we?" she smirked gesturing towards the spot Henry had pointed out to them.

"After you," Frank smiled indicating for her to lead the way.

* * *

"Hello?" Frank called out as they made their way past several horses in search of their conquest. He had to admit he found the overall cleanliness of the stables to be very impressive considering how many animals were kept here.

"Over here!" a slightly muffled voice came from a few stalls down. Frank and Nancy followed the sound until they came across a man brushing and whispering to a large, beautiful horse.

"Steve Webber?" Nancy asked quietly, and a bit in awe, unsure if her voice would startle the majestic creature in front of her.

"That's me," the Head Lad acknowledged as he sat down the brush he was using on a nearby stool. He was tall- much taller than Nancy had expected of any horseman- but he was also a lot younger than she was expecting. He was likely only in his early thirties at the most.

"I'm Nancy," she replied politely, "and this is Frank. We are friends of Pauline." Given the current state of affairs at Gordon Mitchell Racing she was hoping that was a good thing.

Steve nodded and stuck out his hand in way of greeting. "Yes, Pauline mentioned you would be here. Everything alright?"

"Oh, yes," Nancy gushed. "This place is fascinating. It is so kind of all of you to let us intrude for a few days."

"It's no worry," the other man shook his head dismissively continuing with his work. "Now, how can I help?"

"We were hoping you might tell us a little more about what you do?" Frank asked carefully. As Head Lad, Webber would not have a lot of free time and he did not want to inconvenience him. Nor did he want to give away the real reason for their visit.

"If you're not too busy, that is," Nancy added quickly perfectly mimicking Frank's thoughts. She had been studying Steve closely and had to admit his dark hair and matching eyes combined with the rugged look of his jeans and mud splattered wellies were not at all a bad combination.

"I suppose not," Steve smiled. "I always have time for a pretty girl," he added with a wink at Nancy.

She blushed slightly at this, but intentionally avoided his gaze as she could practically feel the glare from Frank behind her. "Well, um, we are very interested in learning more about how things run around here," she said clearing her voice. "I'm afraid I haven't spent much time around a race track."

Steve nodded thoughtfully his gaze shifting slowly between Nancy and Frank. "You have arrived at a good time then, 2000 Guineas is coming up in less than a fortnight. Pauline would know that, of course."

"I'm sorry, what?" Frank asked suddenly startled.

It was Steve's turn to look startled. "2000 Guineas Stakes? Big race every year here in Newmarket? First race of the Triple Crown?" he looked flabbergasted at the pair's blank expressions.

"Ohhh, like the Kentucky Derby?" Nancy nudged Frank excitedly.

"A bit like that, yeah," Steve laughed. "You two really don't know much about horse racing, do ya?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Nancy admitted. "But we are excited to learn." It was true, she didn't know much about horse racing. She had spent some time riding as a child, but it was always strictly for fun.

"Maybe not bet a lot then?" he smirked one brow raised in question. Neither Frank nor Nancy missed the playful twinkle in the other man's eyes as he waited for the young woman's reaction.

"Not planning on it!" she cried. "Besides, Frank and I are here for fun! Losing money doesn't sound like much fun, does it?" she asked linking hands with her boyfriend in a not so subtle manner.

"None of us are going to have a ton of extra time," Steve warned. "This is a crucial race for us, what with things not going so well lately…" his voice trailed off.

"We may have heard things haven't been going as well before," Frank said tactfully trying desperately to ignore the guy's attempts to flirt with his girlfriend as he pulled her closer. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Oh, I'm sure it will turn around," Steve said cheerfully, appearing, at least on the outside, relatively unfazed by their recent misfortunes.

"That must be frustrating," Nancy said slowly placing careful emphasis on the last word in order to gauge his reaction.

" A bit," Steve agreed smiling tightly, "but we'll manage." He began gathering his things quickly only stopping to briefly rub the horse beside him once more.

"Any idea who or what might be causing the current slump?" she continued hopefully baiting him into saying more. She was completely baffled by his blasé attitude towards GMR's rapid decline.

"Bad luck?" he shrugged. "Maybe ask the riders? I don't know. It'll turn around." He began making his way out of the stables, a bewildered Nancy and Frank following behind. "I really must be off now," he said with a polite nod. "Loads of work today." He walked quickly across the yard clearly eager to be away from the two detectives.

"Nice meeting you!" Nancy shouted after him. "Well, that was weird," she said turning to Frank. "What would make him do such a 180?"

"He definitely didn't want to talk about the problems out here that's for sure," Frank agreed. "We'll keep an eye on him," he added with a wary eye in the direction the Head Lad had disappeared.

* * *

 **Please review! Thanks in advance. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes: Thank you, once again, to all that take the time to read and review. I have a quick question for all of you who love the Frank/Nancy relationship: Why? Is it the unrequited thing? They seem the best match? What? I really am curious to know the reason some prefer Frank to Ned (other than myself, I know my reasons). I would love it if you could answer in your review. Thanks! :)**

 **Chapter 7**

"So what's really going on at Gordon Mitchell Racing besides a bunch of disgruntled employees?" Joe asked as he reached for more pizza. The group was tired after a long day at the stables and had returned to the house with several boxes from the local Pizza Express.

Nancy sighed as she began to drum her fingers on the dining room table where they had all gathered. "I don't know," she said the frustration evident in her voice. "Pauline seems to think it is impossible that anyone from GMR could be involved…"

"But you don't agree," Joe stated as matter-of-factly as one could with their mouth full of pizza. "Good. Neither do I."

"Joseph! Manners!" Vanessa cried as she covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. "Can't take him anywhere," she muttered.

The others laughed, but Nancy remained lost in thought. "No, I think someone definitely is up to something." They had caught each other up on their progress from the day and something was bothering her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what.

"But who?" George asked earnestly. "All we've found so far is a few people that either want a promotion or need a vacation."

"Don't forget about Rooooger!" Bess sang playfully unable to resist an opportunity to embarrass her cousin.

"I haven't," George retorted. "I definitely want to know how it came about that a farrier has his own champion racehorses."

"You can ask him on your date!" Bess teased gleefully hoping this revelation would get the reaction she was expecting.

"Date? What date?" Nancy asked suddenly startled back into the conversation.

"It's not a date," George argued glaring at her cousin. "He invited me to ride horses with him sometime," she shrugged.

"Sounds like a date to me," Nancy grinned as she watched her friend's face flush with embarrassment. "He didn't ask _me_ to ride horses."

"He didn't," Frank muttered, "but I bet _Steve_ would."

"Wait! What?" Bess cried unhappily. She hated being the last to know even the smallest bit of gossip.

"It was nothing," Nancy insisted as Frank snorted. "Steve's kind of the flirtatious type."

"Weren't you with Frank?" Joe asked in confusion. "I've got your back, brother," he added confidently patting his older sibling on the shoulder.

" _That_ will not be necessary," Nancy said rolling her eyes. "Can we try to focus, please? We have a case to solve."

"Fine," Frank conceded reluctantly. "I'd say the first thing we need to do is talk to Gordon Mitchell."

Nancy nodded. "I'll call Pauline tonight and see if she can arrange a meeting." It definitely sufficed to say that if you are investigating problems at Gordon Mitchell Racing you should talk to Gordon Mitchell.

"Vanessa and I will see if we can get anymore out of Steve and the riders," Joe offered. "Although that guy better keep his paws away from my fiancé."

"What about us?" Bess asked hesitantly. She was the least likely detective of the group and although this case had yet to see much in the way of danger she was still a little nervous.

"I was thinking maybe you could shadow Pauline tomorrow?" Nancy suggested. "It might be good to observe her interactions with the others. See if anyone is acting particularly suspicious. As for George," she turned towards her friend with a mischievous grin, "I think she better go on that date with Roger."

"IT'S NOT A DATE!" George protested while the others laughed.

* * *

"So, Pauline tells me you are detectives?" Gordon Mitchell asked Frank and Nancy once they were settled in his office the following morning. The trainer appeared to be in his early fifties, slightly balding, but still handsome. He had a cheery disposition and an obvious affection for his Assistant Trainer.

"Private investigators," Frank replied. "We work together with my Dad and brother back in New York."

"I see," the other man nodded politely. "And how long have the two of you been a couple?"

Frank and Nancy were briefly startled. "Um, I guess it has been about six months now?" Nancy looked to Frank questioningly.

"Yes," he agreed. "Did Pauline tell you?"

"You're not the only one with investigative skills, young man," Mitchell answered good-naturedly. "But, yes, in this instance, Pauline told me. Not that it isn't rather obvious."

Nancy laughed. She liked Gordon Mitchell and couldn't help but feel happy for her friend. "I guess I could ask you the same thing then," she said pointedly. "You and Pauline?" she urged hoping he would elaborate.

"Fair enough," he laughed heartily folding his hands on the desk in front of him. "I have been fond of Pauline for a long time. Took a long time for me to convince her to go out with me though."

"Pauline said she was a little worried about dating her boss," Nancy admitted. "I can see where that would be a concern."

"Pffffffft!"

This sudden, dismissive sound startled Frank. "I'm sorry, what did I miss?"

Mitchell chuckled. "Just that while it may be my name on the sign, I am hardly the boss."

"But you're the trainer," Nancy said simply as her eyebrows rose in question.

"True," he agreed, "but Pauline runs the place. Ask anyone. I would be nowhere without her. Actually, that was the problem. When things started going…um, less than stellar around here," he continued, "Pauline blamed herself. She has taken it really hard. Harder than me and it's my butt on the line."

"So the problems started before you and Pauline started dating?" Nancy asked with surprise. This contradicted what the riders had told Joe and Vanessa.

"Of course. She felt she had let me down. Offered her resignation and everything. Took a lot for me to talk her out of it."

"Tom seemed to suggest that the problems around here started because of your relationship," Frank explained. "That you weren't paying enough attention to the job anymore."

Mitchell laughed aloud at this. "Tom is just a bitter, old spoilsport," he said shaking his head. "He doesn't think we're not paying enough attention to the job, he just thinks Pauline isn't paying enough attention to _him_."

"Wait, Tom has feelings for Pauline?" Nancy shook her head in amazement. She had not had the pleasure of a conversation with the man, but from all she had seen and heard she didn't know he had it in him.

"Yeah," Mitchell chuckled. "Has for years. I suspect that's one of the reasons he still works here. Although, I'm not sure Pauline knows come to think of it. He's never actually told her, but everyone else knows."

Frank was watching this entire exchange in bewilderment. "This place is like one of those soap operas Joe swears he doesn't watch."

Nancy paused to smirk at this before turning back to the other man. "Mr. Mitchell-" she began.

"Please, call me Gordon," he insisted. "Mr. Mitchell was my father."

"Okay, Gordon," she continued, "Do you think that Tom is causing the accidents and other issues around here out of jealousy?"

"I suppose it isn't impossible," he said reflectively, "but it would surprise me. Tom needs this job."

"Wouldn't that be true of all of you?" Frank asked curiously.

"Some are in _better_ situations than others," Gordon said carefully. "Steve, for example, has loads of experience, so while it's hurtful to him, it's not devastating. He has other successes on his resume. There's Roger. Farriers are important, naturally, but most people would not consider him bad at his job because the horses aren't winning races. Besides, Roger doesn't need the money."

"We had heard he owns some of the horses out here?" Nancy prodded.

Gordon nodded. "Several actually. Well, his father does, but Roger is the only heir."

"Interesting that he's chosen to be a farrier then," Frank murmured. "They don't make a lot of money do they?"

"Well, not what someone like Roger would be used to anyway," Gordon agreed, "but then, he doesn't need it, does he? From what I understand, he just loves horses." He shrugged as if it made perfect sense to him.

"We've heard some grumblings that nobody is allowed to take any time off right now?" Nancy asked carefully.

"That's not technically true," Gordon sighed, "but yeah, I made it pretty clear I didn't like the idea. Things are bad and if everyone around here wants to still have a job then we need them here working and trying to get a win before all of our owners pull out."

Nancy personally believed that low morale wasn't going to do anybody any favors, but didn't share this thought out loud. Just as she was about to ask more about the accidents that had been occurring, they heard a bloodcurdling scream. "That was Bess!" she cried looking at Frank her face white with fear.

He only nodded in way of response as they rushed to find their friend.

* * *

 **Please review! All feedback- positive or negative- is appreciated. And if you don't mind, please don't forget my question from the notes. Thanks in advance!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes: Thanks to all who are still with me. And thanks to all who have reviewed. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Nancy and Frank rushed out of the stables to find Bess and Pauline sprinting across the yard towards a cluster of trees off in the distance. "What is happening?" Nancy cried as they chased after the others. She looked around desperately, but saw nothing unusual around the stable yard, at least to her untrained eye.

"It's Henry!" Bess screamed breathlessly over her shoulder without slowing down. "The horse…it threw him…he FELL!" she managed to gasp as the pair quickly overtook her.

Not wanting to take the time to ask any further questions, Nancy and Frank ran furiously in the direction their friend was pointing. Approaching the trees, they could hear the young boy moaning in pain before they actually reached him. Nancy shot her boyfriend a concerned look as they hurried towards the sound.

"Don't move him!" Pauline ordered as Frank kneeled down carefully beside Henry. In falls from horses, paralysis and critical injury was always a threat. "What happened? What hurts?" she asked eagerly.

"My leg," he winced, his breathing heavy as tears poured down his cheeks.

"Henry," Frank said reassuringly, "it's Frank. Listen to me. It's going to be okay. Be strong for me." He took Henry's hand in encouragement. "It's going to be alright," he added his voice firm, yet gentle. More than anything he wanted to prevent the boy from going into shock.

"Where's my son?" a female voice cried in panic as a woman pushed through where the others were positioned over the young boy. A second glance revealed the woman to be Kate, one of the riders that previously spoke with Joe and Vanessa, followed shortly by Tom. "Henry! Are you alright? What hurts? What happened?" she demanded.

"Mom!" he whimpered trying desperately to be brave, but clearly frightened.

"I think there will be time for questions later," Pauline interrupted. "He needs to get to a hospital."

"Ambulance is on its way," Nancy announced having taken the initiative to make the call while the others checked on Henry.

"Look at me, sweetheart! Henry, Breathe! It's going to be alright," Kate held tightly to her son's hands attempting to soothe him as Frank made room for her to take over all nurturing responsibilities.

Returning to the girls, he could see the question and concern in their eyes. "I don't know," he replied quietly shaking his head slightly. "I think it may be okay, but we won't know until he is checked out."

Frank was visibly shaken and this alone was unnerving to Nancy. She had come to rely on his cool, calm demeanor to steady her own even in the toughest situations. This boy clearly had an effect on him. "I'm sure everything's fine," she said bravely more for his benefit than her own. "Addenbrooke's in Cambridge is supposed to be a wonderful hospital. State of the art even," she added encouragingly.

Bess closed her eyes in silent prayer as she attempted to combat the moisture forming in her eyes. "He looks so small," she whispered tearfully as Nancy put her arm around her friend in solace.

Just as the paramedics had Henry and Kate loaded up and on their way to the hospital, Roger and George appeared coming up off of one of the trails; she still on horseback while he walked beside her pulling two horses behind him.

"What happened?" Roger asked quizzically. "We were out riding when Regulus here came storming by. I reckon something frightened him carrying on like he was."

"Roger!" Pauline cried sharply pushing her way through the others towards the Scotsman. "Did you tell Henry he could ride Regulus today?"

"Oh, na," Roger shook his head fervently, "I promised his Ma I wouldna let him ride without me. Doesnae mean the wee chap didn't do it anyway." His accent was markedly stronger when he was nervous and you could practically see the others attempting to process what he had just said. "Is something wrong with Henry?" he demanded.

They brought the pair up to speed as Bess described standing in the middle of the yard when she saw Henry fly off the horse. "I should have known he shouldn't be out there by himself," she cried. "I should have said something."

"It's not your fault, dear," Pauline insisted. "You couldn't have known."

George frowned. "Could Henry get the saddle on the horse by himself?" she asked doubtfully.

"Oh, aye, most boys his size, maybe na, but Henry?" Roger shrugged. "If he really wanted to, aye, he could. But the question is why did he fall off? Henry's excellent on horses. His Ma just likes to be extra careful, but he would know enough to tighten the straps and all just fine. He's grown up around the beasts and Regulus is a laidback fella."

"I think I can answer that," a gruff voice interjected. Tom had been inspecting the horse while the others were chatting and was now holding up the saddle. "It's been tampered with," he stated firmly. "See this here?" holding up a piece of the buckle for the others to see. "The strap was cut."

"Why would anyone do that?" Bess gasped looking around at the others in horror.

"Roger?" Nancy asked urgently. "Was anyone scheduled to ride Regulus this morning?"

"Aye, it was me," Roger said grimly. "I decided at the last minute to take Claude here instead," he said gesturing to the other horse he had with him. "Claude and Regulus both belong to my family," he explained. "Along with Madelia here," gesturing to the horse on which George was still perched.

"So someone was trying to hurt Roger?" George exclaimed in surprise as she dismounted Madelia, patting her encouragingly as the horse seemed to sense something was amiss.

"Maybe," Nancy said thoughtfully not wishing to say anything more just yet. "Let's head back to the stable. Hopefully we can get an update on Henry soon."

"I need to fill Gordon in on everything that has happened anyway," Pauline agreed as she pulled the young detective aside. "Nancy," she hissed, "this is bad. Really bad. We have had accidents, but Henry could be seriously hurt. This is another level. I should call the police."

"I know," Nancy whispered in a way that she hoped was reassuring. "We'll investigate. I'm certain we can find the answer," she added confidently taking the woman's hand in hers. "Trust me," she urged her eyes pleading. "We _will_ find the answer." Nancy hoped the confidence in her voice was not for naught.

Pauline studied her friend's daughter carefully before nodding reluctantly. "I trust you," she said hesitantly. "Please hurry!"

* * *

 **Please review! Thanks in advance. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes: Thanks again to all those who are reading, reviewing, favoriting, following, and private messaging. :) I do hope you'll continue to stick with me.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

"What is taking so long?" Bess asked worriedly. "Surely they should know something by now." It was late and the group was waiting at the hospital hoping to hear any news from Henry.

"I'm sure we will hear something soon," George replied confidently while stealing a worried glance at Nancy. It did seem strange that so much time had passed without any word on the boy's condition.

Nancy forced a weak smile. She wanted to be optimistic, but the longer they waited the less hopeful she felt. _Please let him be okay_ , she prayed. _He's just a boy_.

"Well, we found Costa Coffee," Joe said brightly attempting to lighten the mood. He and Frank sat down opposite the girls with a large variety of beverages and assorted pastries.

"Ooooh, coffee," Bess drooled. "Just what the doctor ordered." Realizing their current circumstances she added awkwardly, "Uh, well…you know what I mean…for _us_."

"I thought there would be more people here from the stables," Joe observed. "They know Henry better than we do, after all."

"I think they are coming later," Nancy replied. "They had a lot to do to close up the stables. Pauline told me to call her as soon as we heard anything."

The doors opened then to reveal a very tired Kate. They all stood up in anticipation as Nancy and Vanessa rushed to her side to help her to a seat. "How is he?" Vanessa asked gently. "We are all so anxious to hear."

"He's sleeping," she sighed in relief her voice shaking, "but he's going to be okay. His leg is going to require surgery and he has a couple of cracked ribs and a broken arm. Other than that, he is just badly bruised. He is expected to fully recover."

Nancy pulled her into a warm embrace. "That is such wonderful news," she exclaimed as the others added their well wishes.

"Thank you all so much for being so kind," she smiled tearfully. "It could have been so much worse. I just wish I knew what happened."

Frank glanced around at the others choosing his words carefully before responding. "One of the straps on Regulus' saddle was…damaged," he said slowly giving her a moment to process what he had said before continuing, "Did you know that Henry was planning to ride Regulus this morning?"

Kate shook her head adamantly before taking a tissue from Nancy. "No," she replied angrily, "he wasn't supposed to be riding at all! Are you saying someone did this on purpose?"

"Henry probably wasn't the intended target," Nancy said gently, "but yes, we think someone cut the strap intentionally."

"Roger, then?" she asked bluntly.

"It's possible," Nancy answered truthfully. "We just don't know yet." She studied Henry's mother carefully. She thought it highly unlikely she had anything to do with the problems going on at GMR, but wasn't sure if she was ready to give away the true reasons for their visit just yet.

"Mrs….um, Kate?" Joe began, "Can you think of any reason why someone might want to harm Roger?"

"Morgan. It's Kate Morgan," she replied. "My husband passed away three years ago. Henry is all I have." She shook her head sadly. "No, I don't know why anyone would want to hurt Roger. Or anyone. You think this is another one of the "incidents" that have been going on?"

"It certainly seems like it could be related," Nancy said sensibly as she struggled between wanting to keep their cover intact and the desire to press for more information.

A horrified expression crossed Kate's face as she buried it in her hands. "It's my fault!" she cried. "I should have gotten him out of there at the first sign something was going on. I should have kept him away from that place."

"No!" Nancy said firmly. "This is not your fault. You had no way to know this would happen. Nobody else has been harmed. Please don't blame yourself."

"She's right," Frank agreed. "I'm sure that Mr. Mitchell and Ms. Clarke are doing everything they can to figure out who is behind this."

"You're right," Kate said a little more calmly. "This has been a really long day. Thank you all for you concern. I think I will head back to Henry's room now. I want to be there when he wakes."

"Well, what now?" George asked after the group said their goodbyes and promised to be in touch immediately with any new developments.

"Let's just go back to the house and get some rest," Nancy suggested. "I'll call Pauline on the way."

* * *

"Alright, what's going on?" Joe asked as he joined Frank on the patio leading into the rear garden. It was a nice, clear night- unusual for England this time of year- and the brothers had decided to enjoy a drink outside while the girls called home.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Frank muttered distractedly as he fidgeted with the straw he had found in the kitchen's makeshift bar. He twisted it back and forth, back and forth until Joe, clearly short on patience, snatched it from his fingers.

"Hey!" he protested shooting his brother an annoyed look. He knew he was a little preoccupied, but he thought his brother was exaggerating just a bit.

"You have been acting strange this entire trip and I want to know what is going on," Joe ordered. "Are you and Nancy having problems or something?"

"Problems? No! Why would you ask that? Nan's great," Frank sputtered.

"Oh, thank goodness! I was going to say you guys sure seem awful lovey-dovey for a couple having problems."

"We're not having problems!"

"Okay, okay, got it. So what is wrong then?" Joe pressed.

"You're not going to let this go are you?" his brother sighed. If Joe was anything, it was persistent and he was too tired to argue. "Fine. Do you remember that case we did in Holbrook back a couple of years ago?"

"Yeah, the one with string of robberies. That's where we met little Jacob Whitley." Jacob Whitley had been twelve years old at the time, blonde, and full of life. Unfortunately, his parents were criminals. After his parents were arrested, the Hardys had taken the boy in until they were able to find him a more permanent foster home. "I wonder how he's doing?" Joe asked thoughtfully.

"He's good," Frank smiled. "He's fourteen now, starting high school. He wants to play football."

"I didn't know you had talked to him," Joe said clearly surprised. They had both been fond of Jacob, but he knew he and Frank had a special bond.

"I check in on him every now and then," he smiled taking a long sip of his drink. "He's a good kid."

Joe looked confused. "That's great and all, but what does this have to do with what's going on with you now?"

"Henry reminds me of Jacob a little," he shrugged. He didn't want to make a big deal of it, but they both reminded him of Joe as well. It was a fraternal feeling he couldn't shake when he was around them, a need to protect them.

"Well, both Jacob and Henry are fine now. You can stop worrying so much."

"I know," he sighed. "I feel oddly responsible for them though. I guess I kind of see them as little brothers."

"Sorry, that role is filled." Joe smirked. "Maybe cousins? They'd make good cousins."

Frank rolled his eyes, but smiled. "You're getting married soon, Joe," he pointed out. "You'll have Vanessa to keep you in line."

"I know! Can you believe it?" he asked in awe. "Things are really changing for us."

"That they are, little brother," Frank agreed.

"Well, speaking of Vanessa, I'm going to head in before the missus comes looking for me," Joe yawned and stretched dramatically as he made his way to the door. "Hey, Frank," he said sticking his head back outside. "You'll make great husband for Nancy one day."

"Go to bed!" Frank shouted rolling his eyes once again as he turned back towards the silence once more. Pulling a small box out of his jacket he fingered it carefully before returning it to its regular home in his pocket. _Here's hoping, little brother_ , he thought with a content smile.

* * *

 **Please review! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes: Hi everyone! Thank you for sticking with me and all the kind reviews. I am sorry it has been so long since an update. Real life happens sometimes, unfortunately, but hopefully I am back with you for awhile.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

"What would you have me do?" Gordon Mitchell shouted as he paced angrily across the room. "Call the police? We would be ruined!"

"Mr. Mitchell…" Nancy hesitated before starting again, "Gordon…a boy was badly injured. With all due respect, this is not just about your reputation anymore."

"What did Kate say?" he asked Pauline urgently. "Are they going to report this? What do they want?" He was starting to sweat and Nancy was amazed at his behavior. This Gordon Mitchell was in stark contrast to the affable man she had met previously.

"Gordon, please try to calm down," Pauline said as she attempted to rub his back soothingly. "Kate is just trying to take care of Henry. Nancy is right. We must find out who is responsible! That is what matters now."

"I thought you were a detective!" Mitchell screamed at Nancy as he brushed off Pauline's attempts to relax him.

"My friends and I will be happy to continue investigating," Nancy answered calmly, "but we really need more access. This sneaking around is not cutting it any longer." She was trying hard to remain patient. She understood that he was under a lot of stress, but there was no reason to be rude.

"Yes, fine," he sighed. "Do what you have to do, but keep it quiet, will you?" His voice was lower, but there was still a slight edge to his tone.

Nancy just nodded in response as she excused herself from the trainer's office making a mental note to discuss this sudden personality change with Pauline later.

* * *

"He yelled at you?" Bess asked her eyes wide in disbelief. "And Pauline let him? What did Frank say?" She and the other girls had decided to head into town to Nancy's Tea Shop before joining the guys back at the stables.

"Well, I have not seen Frank," Nancy shrugged, "and I have not talked to Pauline yet, but yes, he yelled. It was really weird. He has always seemed so good-natured." For Pauline's sake, she really hoped that the man was just having a bad day.

"Maybe he is just stressed out," George suggested. "He does have a lot on his plate right now. He probably feels responsible for what happened to Henry."

"I guess…" Nancy agreed reluctantly before being interrupted by an extremely excited Bess.

"They have _chocolate_ tea?" she squealed. "Why have I not had this before? I love you!" she said to the poor, startled waitress attempting to take their order.

"Bess!" George rolled her eyes and smiled apologetically at the woman. "We will just have the cream tea, please."

"With the chocolate tea!" Bess insisted.

"With the chocolate tea," Nancy agreed with a laugh. She loved how excited Bess could get over the smallest things. Although, she had to admit, chocolate tea did sound delightful.

"Do you think it is possible Mitchell had something to do with it?" Vanessa asked as the waitress removed their menus and left their table with an obvious smirk in Bess' direction.

"I certainly hope not," Nancy sighed, "but I have a bad feeling. It did not seem like normal concern to me. He was way too defensive. I think we need to start digging more into the employees' pasts. There could be some clues there."

"I bet George could look into Roger's past for you," Bess teased. "And his present and future."

"Yeah, how is that going?" Vanessa grinned. Sometimes she felt like the old, married lady of the group and enjoyed hearing about the other girl's love lives.

George blushed furiously as she glared at her cousin. "Roger is great," she said attempting to sound nonchalant. "He did tell me something interesting this morning though," she added desperately hoping to lead talk away from her own connection to the farrier. "He has apparently known Steve since he was a young boy."

"Head Lad Steve?" Nancy asked her attention piqued. "From both of them growing up around horses or what? I thought Roger grew up in Scotland."

"He did," George agreed between sips of tea. "And so did Steve. Remember how Roger's family is really well off? They have a large estate in the Highlands and Steve's family lived in one of the houses. His father ran their stables. It sounded like they used to play together a lot as kids."

"But Steve is not Scottish," Bess said as she spread more jam and clotted cream on her scone. Taking a large bite she closed her eyes and smiled with pleasure.

"I know," George shrugged. "He didn't elaborate. We had just started talking about it when Tom interrupted us."

"Oh, Tom," Bess shook her head. "He's so grumpy! I do not know how the others stand it." She had tried to talk to him that morning to no avail. He had mumbled something about water for the horses and rushed off.

"If he has a soft spot for Pauline though?" Vanessa said. Maybe he is not all bad."

"Maybe," Bess agreed. "I want to hear more about George and Roger though," she added with a grin. "Have you kissed him yet?"

Bess' eyes grew big as she watched her cousin squirm in her seat, her eyes shooting daggers at her cousin before becoming extremely interested in her cup and saucer. "No way! You kissed him?" she screamed. "When? Why am I just finding out about this?"

"Right before Henry's accident, I suspect," Nancy laughed thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to tease her friend.

George's head shot up. She had made it a point of not telling anyone especially after what happened to Henry. Well, that, and she was not sure she even _wanted_ to tell anyone. She liked Roger, sure, but they lived in different countries. What could possibly come of it? "How did you know?"

"Detective, remember?" Nancy smiled as a familiar buzzing sound had her reaching into her bag for her phone. "It's Frank," she mouthed to the others as she answered the call.

Their talk was brief, but Nancy looked alarmed as she stood to leave. "There has been another incident," she said grimly. "We have to go."

* * *

 **Please review! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes: Sorry for the delay in updating this. I had a bit of writer's block so took a short respite from this story to hopefully gain some inspiration. If you like Harry Potter, I have another story going in that universe right now too. :)**

 **Thanks for reading, reviewing, and to those who have encouraged me to update quickly.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

A crowd had gathered outside of the stables when the girls arrived. Nancy surveyed the crowd anxiously for any sign of Frank and Joe. "See what you can find out," she said to the others, "I am going to look for the guys."

She pushed slowly through the gathering of people as she tried to make her way to the entrance. She could feel a nervous energy buzzing in the people around her, but could not pick up any clues as to what had occurred. Finally spotting the back of a familiar head, she called out to her boyfriend.

Frank whirled around at the sound of her voice. Smiling when he caught sight of her he helped make a break in the crowd to allow her to join him near one of the stalls. "What's going on?" she asked trying to make sense of what was happening in front of her. A horse was laying on its side, not moving, as Tom and a woman hovered over it.

"A couple of the horses have become ill," he replied. "Tom did not think it was a coincidence. That is the vet," he said gesturing to the woman Nancy did not recognize. "They think they may have been poisoned."

"Those poor horses!" Nancy cried. "How?"

"The food most likely," Steve said joining them. "They will send it off to be tested."

"That is awful," Nancy said in disbelief. "Why would someone do something like that?"

Steve just shrugged. "Why would someone do any of the things that have been happening around here? I know one thing though, this is very, very bad."

"Worse than a little boy being injured?" Nancy asked flatly.

"I didn't mean that," he answered quickly, "but this may all but ruin any chance of the business making a comeback."

"And why is that?" she asked. "It is just two horses. It looks like they caught it before it could be too disastrous. I am sure they will take extra care with the food from now on."

Frank looked thoughtful. "Because nobody is going to want to have their horse trained somewhere it might be poisoned."

"Exactly!" Steve agreed. "Look at that crowd out there. They cannot contain this one."

"Why is there such a large crowd?" Nancy asked suspiciously as she looked out at the sheer number of people standing in the yard. "I have never seen this many people here at a time."

Steve just shrugged again. "Bad news travels fast."

* * *

Nancy sighed. More sabotage and no real clues to go with it. What was she missing? She leaned back in her chair studying the ceiling as she attempted to focus on what she knew so far. It was late and the group had returned to the house for the evening to discuss the day's events.

"He's going to have to call the police now," Joe argued. "Too many people know. And the owners of these horses aren't going to accept an internal investigation."

"All I know is that whoever is doing this has some nerve," Bess said angrily. "What a despicable thing to do, attacking animals and little children!"

"To be fair, I don't think they meant to attack, Henry," Nancy replied distantly, only halfway invested in the current conversation, "but your point is taken."

"But why attack Roger?" George asked. "I don't see any motive for that either."

"I certainly can't think of anything that could be achieved by both injuring Roger and harming the horses," Frank admitted.

"Maybe they are unrelated?" Vanessa suggested. She had been listening quietly to the others, but this same thought had been nagging at her all day and she felt it needed to be said.

"You may be right," Nancy agreed. "George, I think we need to find out more about Roger's relationship with Steve. Do you think you can arrange another date with him?" She grinned at this as she watched her friend's cheeks turn slightly pink.

"I can probably talk to him," she replied shooting her cousin a warning look that suggested there should be no further comment from her.

"We should probably talk to the vet, also" Frank added. "I'm very interested to know what exactly we are dealing with. Maybe it is possible the horses weren't actually poisoned? It can't be unheard of for horses to just get sick sometimes."

"We'll go see them in the morning," Nancy agreed. "Maybe Joe and Vanessa could see what they can find out from Tom? He seemed to be first on the scene."

The other couple agreed and the group decided to head to bed. Frank and Nancy lingered for a while after the others had retired to their rooms. It had been a busy week and Nancy really wanted a few minutes alone with her boyfriend. She curled up next to him on the couch as he wrapped his strong arms around her small frame.

"You okay?" he asked gently pressing a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"I am," she said. "Frustrated, but okay." She looked up at him with a sad smile. "I feel bad for Pauline."

"I know," he said, pulling her closer. "But we will figure it out. You know we will."

She just nodded in response, once again lost in thought.

"What is it?" he urged. He knew Nancy and there was obviously more on her mind than she was saying.

"She's not going to like the outcome," she whispered. "She cares so much, Frank. About everyone. Somebody she cares about is doing these awful things and it is going to devastate her."

It was Frank's turn to sigh. "Yes," he agreed. "And we'll just have to be there for her when that happens."

* * *

"Oh no," Nancy groaned. It was morning and they were having a quick breakfast before heading to the stables.

The others looked up in alarm. "What?" Frank asked making his way to see what had upset her.

Nancy just handed him the newspaper she had been reading. There, sprawled across the front page of the Newmarket Journal was a picture of a beautiful, galloping horse and the words "TOXIC TRAINERS."

"Well, I guess the news it out," Joe said trying his best to keep his tone lighthearted.

"We knew this was going to happen, Nan," Frank said gently. Rubbing her shoulders in an attempt to be comforting.

"I know," she said, the frustration evident in her voice. "C'mon, we better get over there. Something tells me this is going to be an eventful day at Gordon Mitchell Racing.

* * *

 **Please review! :) Thank you!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes: Sorry for the delay. Life and writer's block happen sometimes, unfortunately. Thank you to all of you that are still with me. I really appreciate you taking the time to read and review.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

Nancy was right. They arrived at the stables to find the place swarming with people. Many, she suspected, were reporters. Horse racing was huge in Newmarket and a scandal of this magnitude was sure to be a front page story.

The group pushed their way through the crowd until they reached Pauline's office. She was waiting for them as she had promised when Nancy had called. There was no denying the woman looked stressed. There were dark circles under her blood shot eyes and her expression was one of woman rapidly approaching her breaking point.

"Oh, Nancy! What are we going to do?" She readily threw her arms around the young detective, obviously eager and happy to see a friendly face.

"We'll find out who is behind this, Pauline," Nancy said. "I told you we would."

"I'm afraid it's too late," the other woman replied. "I don't know how we can recover from this. It's all over the papers."

"You recover by catching who is doing this," Frank said. "That's the only way."

"We need to talk to the vet, Pauline," Nancy said. "Can you give us his information?"

"That won't be necessary. He's here now. Come, I'll show you the way."

* * *

"Dr. Miller?" Frank asked once he and Nancy had managed to get the veterinarian alone. "I'm Frank Hardy and this is Nancy Drew."

"Ah, Pauline said you would be coming by. Not sure how much I can help, I'm afraid. I don't know much more than I did yesterday."

Dr. Miller was an older, balding man with a twinkle in his eye that Nancy immediately liked. She wondered briefly it was because he reminded her of her an older version of her father.

"Dr. Miller," she asked, "can you give us a little more detail about what you think happened to the horses?"

"Well, like I said before, I really don't have any new information. We have to wait for the tests to come back. I suppose if I were to guess…"

"Yes?" Frank urged. Court cases couldn't be built on guesses, but investigations sure could.

"Well, it seems fairly obvious the horses were poisoned, but only enough to sicken them, not to kill them."

"You're sure about that?" Nancy asked. That could definitely be a huge clue if it were true.

"Fairly sure, yes," the doctor replied. "If someone was really trying to kill these horses they would be dead. It wouldn't take much of any of the likely toxins these horses have been given to finish them off. The fact that they are still with us leads me to believe that they were only given the smallest of doses. Had to have been someone who knew what they were doing to administer it as such. It would be nearly impossible for someone to give them too little by accident."

"Another vet?" Frank asked.

"Or simply someone with a great knowledge of horses, perhaps." The old man sighed. "Like I said, I'll know more when I get the test results, but these are my suspicions."

"Thank you for your time, sir," Nancy said. "We'll look forward to hearing your findings."

"Well, that's interesting," Frank said after they were out of ear shot. "What do you think it means?"

"Pretty much confirms that the soul goal is to destroy the reputation of this place," Nancy said. "But still doesn't tell us why. Seems pretty likely that we are definitely dealing with an inside job though."

"Yes," Frank agreed. "We have to dig deeper. Somebody has to have slipped up somewhere."

"Maybe the others are having some luck. In the meantime, let's see if we can find Mr. Sunshine himself." She had a sneaking suspicion that Gordon Mitchell, at the very least, knew more than he was letting on. She intended to find out what that was.

* * *

"I still can't believe you didn't tell me you kissed him!" Bess said as she and George searched for Roger. "I'm your cousin, your best friend! Does that mean nothing?"

"Nancy's my best friend," George said, knowing she would get a reaction. She laughed out loud at the expression on Bess' face. "Kidding…kidding. You are both equally dear to me."

"It's just…nothing can come of it," she continued, her tone once again serious. "I have to go back home eventually. We might as well be from two different worlds." She laughed a little at that. "We _are_ from two different worlds. And yes, I know how cliché that sounds."

"Ah, star crossed lovers," Bess sighed. "How romantic!"

George merely rolled her eyes. "It's not romantic!" she cried. "If anything, it's…it's depressing is what it is!" Admitting she liked a guy was the last thing George wanted to do in front of her cousin, but for some reason she had turned into something of a babbling idiot since she'd met the Scottish farrier.

Bess looked startled. "You really like him." George could see the wheels spinning in her cousin's head and she didn't like it. Her cousin had a tendency to get carried away very quickly about such things.

"He's a suspect, Bess! I'm not allowed to like him." It was a detail she had been struggling with all week. She enjoyed spending time with Roger, but there was no denying that he was on their short list of possible criminals. That was just what she needed. To travel halfway around the world and start a relationship with some sort of crazed mastermind.

"Innocent until proven guilty I always say! C'mon," she said taking her cousin's hand and pulling her along, "let's go clear lover boy's name!"

* * *

 **Thanks for sticking with me! Please review! It means a lot. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes: Sorry for the delay, but I think I finally have this one all mapped out through the end, which will make it significantly easier to write. Thanks for sticking with me! I love to hear from you.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

George had been dreading seeing Roger again ever since their last encounter, er, date, whatever it was, had ended so abruptly. It was not that she didn't like him. She liked him maybe a little too much. But it was all so very complicated. He was a suspect in their investigation. He also lived in England. Even if he was innocent that was a fairly major detail that couldn't be overlooked. Newmarket was a long way from River Heights.

She couldn't believe she had kissed him! Not only that, but everyone knew about it. She had been acting so unlike herself since the moment she laid eyes on the handsome Scot and she wasn't sure what it meant. If this is what it felt like to be Bess she should really be more sympathetic towards her cousin in the future. Whatever it was, she really needed to pull herself together, like stat.

Instead, she found herself actively seeking out the object of her frustration. She tried to convince herself it was just for the case, but the little thrill she felt at the idea of seeing him again suggested otherwise. It was pathetic.

She headed towards the farrier office, stopping just outside the door as she heard the sound of a hushed, angry voice inside. Feeling very much like Nancy, she leaned forward, desperate to pickup what she could from the conversation. It was definitely Roger, but who was he talking to?

"I know he's up to something," Roger's voice hissed. "And I know you're helping him. When I found out what it is…"

George looked alarmed. This was serious. Who on earth was he talking to?

"Somebody has to worry when you two are involved," Roger continued. "You're in over your head this time. You think Mr. Mitchell is going to let this slide? You're going to jail. And don't expect me to help you out. Have you seen Henry? Well, I have and he is hurt really badly, the poor laddie. A wee boy was injured!"

Apparently the response to this was not a good one as George could hear several things crash against the wall in response.

"So you're out to get _me_ then?" Roger cried. George couldn't see him, but she knew his face must be blazing red at this point. He sounded extremely angry and George was very glad she wasn't on the receiving end of it.

"Aye, but they did get hurt and it is all because of you two! You're lucky I haven't turned you in. In fact, I'm really not sure why I haven't. I've given you so many chances. Not anymore. Come clean or I do it for you."

George heard the phone slam down against the desk followed by silence. She wasn't sure what to do. She couldn't risk him knowing she overheard the conversation, but she wasn't sure she could sneak away without him hearing her. She stood perfectly still for a few more moments, praying silently that he wouldn't open the door. When she felt enough time had passed, she slowly made her way out of the stable. She wasn't sure she could trust herself to talk to him right now. Once she got outside, she groaned loudly. Why did everything always have to be so complicated?

* * *

Meanwhile, Frank and Nancy were still searching for Gordon Mitchell. "You think he'd like to be around for this," Nancy muttered. "Pretty huge day for GMR, wouldn't you say?"

Frank had to agree. Not only were there several reporters milling about, but now a group of protestors had taken up just outside the stables. Animal rights was a hot topic. They could only be thankful the press hadn't gotten wind of Henry's injury yet. Children and animals. That would drive the final nail in the coffin he was pretty certain.

"I haven't seen Pauline either," he said. "Maybe they are having to handle something right now?" He looked around once more checking that he didn't miss anything.

"Maybe…" Nancy agreed. She had her eyes peeled around the stable yard, searching for anything out of place or suspicious. "Hey, there's Steve Webber. Is it just me or does he look like someone who doesn't want to be followed?"

"He definitely looks a little too worried if you ask me," Frank agreed. "Come on."

"Steve!" Nancy said brightly after they had caught up with the Head Lad. "How's everything going?"

"Is that some kind of joke?" Steve said gruffly.

"Not at all," Nancy challenged. "I find even in the worst of times that simple pleasantries are most important."

"Do you, then?" Steve asked. "Well, I suppose if I was going back to my cushy life back in America in a few days then I wouldn't be too worried either."

"Hey!" Frank cried. "There's no reason to talk to her like that. She was just being nice."

Steve had the decency to look abashed. "Sorry, there is just a lot of stress on all of us right now, alright?"

Nancy nodded. "Right."

"I'll, uh," he said as he began walking away. "I'll see you later. Horses need tending."

Nancy and Frank watched as he stormed off. "Well, that was strange," Nancy said. "If I didn't know better I would say he had switched places with Tom."

"I'll say," Frank agreed. "He didn't even flirt once." He couldn't help but laugh as Nancy punched his arm playfully. "Well, to be fair, they all have to be under a lot of stress."

"Yes, but it was more than that," she said thoughtfully. "We need to keep an eye on him."

"Like you weren't already?" Frank asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

"Yes, well," she grinned. "A sharper eye." She smiled at her boyfriend. As much as she loved solving mysteries alone, there was something special about having him by her side for it. They made a great team. She could only hope they could continue doing it for a very long time.


End file.
